South shuts out North

MYRTLE BEACH — Throughout the week, most observers agreed the SCADA North-South All-Star Football teams had a dramatically different feel.

The North squad looked crisp and poised to continue what had been a four-game winning streak in the series. What happened Saturday at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium was anything but.

The South, on the strength of one of the best defensive showings in recent years, won 23-0 to snap its losing skid.

"We knew that our ends and our [linebackers] were good," South coach James Waring of St. John's said. "We just couldn't turn them loose like that [during practice]; we ran the risk of getting somebody hurt. You always have to win with defense."

Both teams failed to do much offensively in the first half, and the game was scoreless at the break. However, the South team scored 16 third-quarter points while continuing to dominate a North offense loaded with future college players.

The North finished with just 177 yards of total offense and rushed for negative yards. It was a far cry from the 42-3 victory the North put up a year ago.

Wren running back Levi Bufford, who ran the ball three times, did have a pair of receptions for 10 yards. One of them was a one-handed grab during a stretch of three straight plays that put the ball in his hands.

However, the North needed much more help than that.

"I guess we just got out of focus," Bufford said. "I guess they were the better team. … Being with these boys for a week, we came together as a team. It's kind of hard to lose. That's the only thing I'm kind of upset with. Then again, I'm still excited I got to come to North-South."

Seneca's Dorian Raines had two receptions for 16 yards and three kickoff returns for 70 yards to finish second on the team in all-purpose yards. Daniel offensive lineman Justin Miller also spent significant time on the field, primarily at center.

The South got on the board first with a 78-yard run from Summerville's Jerod Tucker and then received a pair of second-half touchdowns from eventual offensive MVP Daitwan Commodore (Fort Dorchester).

Again, though, this was could be chalked up to defense.

Waring and his staff selected defensive players who had experience playing against each other. They felt it was the best approach to snapping the losing streak and narrowing the gap in the overall series — which the North now leads 36-26-2.

They also pressured the South players to take ownership of what amounts to little more than bragging rights in a series that includes a new set of players and coaches every season.

"We told them what had happened, and what they needed to do," Waring said. "We said we were going to turn this thing, it was going to start with this group. They were personally picked, hand-selected to take care of that task. We told them that the very first night we met with them."